Director(s)

Programmer (s)

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Series

Platform(s)

Release

October 12, 1990 (FC)

July 24, 1992 (JP, Game Boy) December 11, 1992 (PCE)

Genre(s)

Action sports game

№ of Players

Up to 4 players (multiplayer, competitive)

Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai (ダウンタウン熱血行進曲 それゆけ大運動会, "Downtown Nekketsu March: Let's Go to the Great Athletic Meet") is an action sports game released on October 12, 1990 to the Famicom, both developed and published by Technōs Japan Corp.. It is commonly named Nekketsu Sports Challenge or Great Athletic Meet. This game is the direct sequel to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari and is arguably the most popular game in the Kunio-kun series in Japan, as can be seen by its multiple sequels and remakes along with the battle royal mode. The previous game introduced many high schools and characters and this game further expands on some of the established schools by adding new characters to Nekketsu High, Hanazono High, Reihou Academy (which already introduced many of its characters in the previous game) and many others.

A port for the Game Boy was released on July 24, 1992 titled Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Dokodemo Daiundōkai (ダウンタウン熱血行進曲 どこでも大運動会, "Downtown Nekketsu March: The Great Portable Athletic Meet"). This version of the game doesn't have the ball breaking minigame from the Famicom version but it includes two new minigames in its place, along with two secret teams. The game was also ported to the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² on December 11, 1992. This version of the game includes voice acting, an arranged soundtrack, character intros, pre-event previews, intermission scenes featuring the team's cheerleaders, new items and stages.

Contents

Development

Higher-ups at Technōs Japan Corp. wanted Hiroyuki "Mokeke" Sekimoto to make an athletic meet Kunio-kun game. Originally, the team composition was planned to be very similar to the arcade version of Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu, but using the Downtown Nekketsu setting. Sekimoto came up with most of the game's ideas.[1]

Story

The Reihou Academy's Student Council has proposed to host an athletic meet in order to apologize for the incident caused by Yamada, the previous Student Council President. Mamoru Tōdō, the newly elected president of the student body has no intention of apologizing however. He hosts the athletic meet with very few rules so that the academy, with a team led by the Double Dragon brothers, can crush the other schools and prove their superiority.

Tōdō challenging the player to compete in his four events.

At first, it appears that the other schools won't accept the challenge, but Nekketsu High School with a team led by Kunio and Hanazono High School led by Riki agreed to participate. Gōda from Houryu High School also assembled a team of players from other schools. And thus the teams calmly assembled to participate in Tōdō's athletic meet.

Gameplay

Hasebe in the event setup screen.

The game allows up to 4 players to play simultaneously in four different events using four different teams. The objective of the game is to win events by scoring the most amount of points. As a sequel to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the game shares a similar control scheme and gameplay and players are encouraged to use violence during the non-fighting events to score points.

During a one player game, the player has to score higher than the opposing teams in each event in order to advance to the next event. Failing to do so will result in a Game Over regardless of the player's current ranking. The game has no save function or a passwords feature. The game does have an ending during single play, which requires the player to win the game as the Nekketsu team. If the game is being player by more than a single player, players can re-arrange the order of each event or choose to play specific events.

In the Game Boy version, the player is able to continue playing regardless of their position in the rankings and each team has their own ending.

Controls

The game has two different control schemes, split between the four events. Cross Country and the Obstacle Course have the same controls, while the Ball breaking minigame and Battle Royal share a control scheme. The controls on the running and jumping events share a similarity with Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, while the fighting controls are similar to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari.

The player can run by double tapping either left or right on the directional pad. To jump, players must press both buttons are the same time (A and B buttons on the Nintendo systems and I and II buttons on the PC Engine). The player can climb ladders by pressing up in the directional pad upon approaching them. This has to be pressed repeatedly in order to climb the bars in the ball breaking minigame. The A button is used to pick up weapons or downed opponents from the ground and to attack with them, while the B button is used to throw a weapon or the opponent being carried.

Characters will continue to carry any weapon they might have at the end of the round to the following round and event. Their health will carry over as well, which can be recovered by resting the character and using a different character.

Running Event Controls

Pressing the A button on Nintendo systems and the II button on the PC Engine if the player is facing right will have the player attempt to push another player. This attack can be directed upwards and downwards by holding the respective direction in the control pad while pressing the button. If the player is facing left, the B and I button is pressed in the respective system instead. The forward version of the attack can be performed during a jump.

The B button (I button on the PC Engine) will have the player throw an elbow behind him if the player is facing right. The player can do this while running but he will slow down. If the player is facing left, this is done with the A button on Nintendo systems and the II on the PC Engine.

A diving jump kick can be performed by pressing the The B button (I button on the PC Engine) during a jump when the player is facing right. The A button (II button on the PC Engine) is pressed when the player is facing left.

When swimming, characters move faster if they are carrying a weapon.

Fighting Event Controls

Like in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the A button (II button the PC Engine) is used to punch and the B button (I button in the PC Engine) is used to kick. Players can perform a jumping kick by pressing the B button (I button in the PC Engine) during a diagonal jump.

While climbing the bar in the ball breaking event, players can punch and kick to their left or right by holding the specific direction on the control pad. Holding no direction in the control pad and pressing the the A button (II button the PC Engine) will have the character punch in the direction of the ball.

In the Battle Royal event, most characters have unique special techniques that are performed by pressing specific buttons at specific moments. Some of these techniques also replace a character's normal attack. Otherwise, the controls remain the same from the ball breaking minigame.

Events

Morisawa giving players a selection of the athletic meet events.

The Famicom and PC Engine version of the game have four events, while the Game Boy version has five events. Before each event, players can select the background music that will play for each event (there are six different tracks, the music was composed by Kazuo Sawa), then change settings for each event. Settings that can be changed include the timer of each event, the number of times an event needs to be played before moving to the next event and setting various modifiers such as winds and traps. In the Game Boy version, each event is played once by default, the console version has the player play the events multiple times (the PC Engine version has a training mode in which is event is played only once). The original four events will be listed first, followed by the Game Boy exclusive events:

Yumemi Town Cross Country

Yumemi Town Cross Country in the Famicom version.

In this event, players will run across the surrounding area of Reihou Academy and Yumemi Town. The course starts at the academy then goes through the city, the park, houses, gardens, over roofs and swimming through a sewer before returning to the academy for the goal. This event is played twice by default.

While running through each checkpoint, if a player is left behind as the screen scrolls forward they will be deducted points (this doesn't happen in the Game Boy version). Players can get additional points by attacking other players and they will keep this points if they are disqualified (they will not receive end goal points).

Points are added depending on the position that a player reaches a checkpoint (reaching the goal gives the most points). If the time runs out before the player reaches the goal they will be disqualified. Players will also be disqualified if their health is reduced to 0 and are knocked down, if they drown in the water or if they run at the beginning of the event past the starting line twice before the starter pistol is fired.

The default track for this event is an arrangement of Csikós Post by Hermann Necke.

Obstacle Course

Obstacle Course in the Famicom version of the game.

This event plays similar to Cross Country. Players have to course a series of obstacle rooms and reach the goal before their opponents. Unlike Cross Country, each room takes place in a single screen that doesn't scroll, so players don't have to worry about their points being deducted for being left behind. The timer is shorter than Cross Country as well, if time runs out players are not disqualified. Instead, they will not receive points for crossing the checkpoint. Just like Cross Country, points are added for crossing check points.

By default, this event is played twice. The rules for disqualification are the same as in Cross Country, with the exception of the aforementioned timer rule.

Ball Breaking on Bars

Ball breaking minigame in the Famicom version.

Prior to the beginning of this event, players will be split into two teams (which can be determined optionally by the player). The objective is to break the ball at the top of the screen by climbing the bars. Once the player reaches the top, the must punch the ball until it breaks. The player has to play this event three times by default. This event is not available in the Game Boy version.

The bars are close together, so players can punch and kick adjacent players to stop them from climbing or punching the ball. They can also cooperate or hinder their partner, but teams will receive the same score (unless they are disqualified, which will happen if the character's health is completely reduced and they are knocked down). Players gain additional points by attacking other players and bonus points are given to the player who breaks the ball.

Battle Royal

Battle Royal in the Famicom version.

Players will battle it out in a ring set on the side of the Reihou Academy. The last player standing wins. Players are eliminated if their health is reduced completely and are knocked down or if they are tossed out of the ring. If time runs out and no winner is decided, the player with the most points will win. Additional points can be gained by attacking other players. Most characters have unique fighting techniques which they can use in this event. By default, this event is played three times. The PC Engine version includes two other arenas (the judo fighting arena has no hazards).

Fighting for Bread

Bread eating contest exclusive to the Game Boy version.

In this event players fight for a piece of French bread that is tossed into the center of the arena. Players gain points by chewing on the bread and attacking other players. The event ends after one of the players swallows the bread and is declared the winner. This event uses the Battle Royal control scheme and it is possible to eliminate other players by knocking them down.

Bomb Tag

Bomb tag minigame exclusive to the Game Boy version.

At the beginning of this event, a player is randomly selected through a roulette to carry the bomb. The player that is "it" carries the bomb and they can pass the bomb to any opponent that is knocked down. The player who has the bomb when it explodes will lose the event and the remaining players will receive 200 points. The event uses the same control scheme from Battle Royal, but characters take no damage and no health is shown during the event. However, players near the explosion will take damage and the player who had the bomb when it explodes will have their health completely reduced. There are some hazards in the area to make it harder for the characters to escape from one another.

Items

During events, players will find numerous objects on the ground that can be used as weapons. They can also be tossed to damage another player. Only one item can be carried at any time by each player. Items are used with the A button (II button on the PC Engine) and thrown with the B button (I on the PC Engine). Heavy items are carried on both hands and character attack and throw these items slower, but their movement speed is not reduced. Players who finish a match or event with an item in their possession will keep them in the next match or event (this doesn't happen in the Game Boy version or after the ball breaking minigame in the console versions).

Some of the items listed below are exclusive to the PC Engine version:

Bomb: Explodes on impact when thrown, damaging anyone close to the point of impact.

Bokken: This orthodox weapon can be used to perform special techniques such as the Bōjutsu Special and the Hurricane Crash (the former is Godai's deathblow, while the latter is used by both Shimizu and Hayami).

Magic Wand: The character who swings the magic wand will have his overall stats increased for the duration of the event. The boost can only be granted once per event for each wand and once acquired, the character no longer needs to hold the wand.

Dumbbell: A strong weapon that is swung slowly. Its throwing trajectory is shorter than other weapons.

Brass Knuckles: A slight increase in attack power and longer reach than a normal punch, but the range is still shorter than a kick or other weapons.

Tire: Has high attack power but due to being heavy the attack comes out slower. A thrown tire continues rolling and will damage players that get in the way of it. The PCE Engine version also includes a bicycle tire.

Bowling Ball: Has short reach and when thrown it goes upwards then rolls along the ground. Players will receive damage if they get hit by the rolling ball. The PC Engine version includes a bigger bowling ball that will send opponents flying if they are hit by it.

Vitamin Drink: This drink can be used to restore a character's health. There are two types of drinks, though in the Famicom version they look identical. One drink will restore the character's health to full or increase his health to 255. The other drink will restore a maximum of 128 of health. In the PC Engine version, the first variation is colored orange while the second type is colored blue. While drinking, the character is vulnerable to attack and health only recovers after the character completely drinks the bottle. Washio and Hayasaka will use this item as a weapon due to having the Mach Pounding (Grand Slam in River City Ransom) technique, however they will drink the item when controlled by the CPU.

Fighting Ring: This small and easy to miss item has a short reach, but it is also the most damaging item in the game. When equipped with this item in Battle Royal, most characters can perform the Human Torpedo technique (Washio and Hayasaka are the only exceptions, as mentioned above in the Vitamin Drink).

A new room in the Obstacle Course event in the PC Engine Super CD version of the game. Some of the new items are also shown.

Dynamite: Exclusive to the PC Engine version, a stronger version of the bomb.

Bat: Exclusive to the PC Engine version, it is similar to the bowling ball.

Hammer: Exclusive to the PC Engine version, a similar weapon to the dumbbell.

Awards

Individual awards screen in the Famicom version.

Individual awards are announced once all four events come to an end. They are given to any character and they award their teams with extra points, with the exception of one award. The names for the first three awards are not completely accurate, they are taken from River City Super Sports Challenge: All Stars Special, the PS3 remake of this game:

Fighting Spirit Award: 100 points are awarded to the team who has a player whose cumulative score is the second best overall.

Most Valuable Player: 200 points are given to the team with a player who has the most cumulative score.

Most Carried Player: -150 points are deducted from the team who has a player that has the lowest cumulative score.

Reihou Academy Award: This award is given to a player who has a high score plus a high number of victories in each event. It awards the team 100 points.

Tōdō Group Special Award: This award is given when the player of a given team wins under certain conditions. It awards 250 points.

Characters

Like Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, the game features numerous characters, including the playable characters, a supporting cast and the antagonists (who the player never fights in the game). If a full name is listed below, the given name is shown first and the family name second (with the exception of Kunio, Riki and the Double Dragon Brothers, all characters are addressed by their surnames in this game, just like the previous game. Mami this time around is addressed by her surname).

Teams

Character select screen in the Famicom version.

The game has exactly four teams. Any team not controlled by the player will be controlled by the CPU. Each team is comprised of a captain, a vice captain and four additional members, plus the cheerleader.

Momozono wishes good luck to Kunio in the PC Engine Super CD version of Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai.

Kunio's one-man team. Cheerleader is Satomi Momozono, a sophomore and childhood friend of Sugata who has an interest in Kunio. As mentioned in the team's description, Kunio carries this team and as the strongest character in it he can participate in any event. Sugata and Nanase are average characters that can support Kunio in any event. The freshmen, Takamine, Morimoto and Ichijou are specialist characters. Takamine can be used in fighting events and Ichijou in running events. Morimoto is an average character who specializes in weapon throwing.

Kunio: The Captain of the Nekketsu High School team. He can participate in any event and the has the highest kicking power in the game. Of the Nekketsu team members, he gets up the fastest when knocked down. He has a maximum health of 240. His technique in Battle Royal is the Mach Kick (Dragon Feet in River City Ransom) which replaces a normal kick (pressing the B button on Nintendo consoles and the I button on the PC Engine). Kunio is unable to do a jumping kick in Battle Royal as a result. In the PC Engine version of the game, Kunio is voiced by Ryō Horikawa.

Sanjūrō Sugata: The Vice-Captain of the Nekketsu High School team, a sophomore who proclaims himself as a disciple of Kunio. Sugata is an average character who has good speed and punch strength, but his weapon stats are low. His maximum health is 200. He can work as a backup for Kunio in any event. His technique in Battle Royal is the Bomb Punch, which is performed after landing from a jump and pressing the A button (II in the PC Engine version of the game). Sugata is voiced by Nobutoshi Canna in the PC Engine version of the game.

Haruka Nanase: A close friend of Sugata and a fellow sophomore. Like Sugata, he is an average character with a maximum health of 200 and can supplement him and Kunio in any event. Unlike Sugata however, Nanase is strictly an average character. His Battle Royal technique is the Double Chop, performed by pressing the A button during a jump (II button in the PC Engine version of the game). He is voiced by Wataru Takagi in the PC Engine version of the game.

Noboru Takamine: A member of the Judo club in Nekketsu High School and a freshman. Takamine has low health and speed but he makes up for this with his fighting strength. Takamine can be used as a backup for Kunio, Sugata and Nanase in Battle Royal, regardless of the fact that he has no special technique there. His maximum health is 180.

Ken'ichi Morimoto : A freshman and a member of the Nekketsu High School Drama Club. He joined the Nekketsu team to strengthen his weak character. His redeeming quality to the team is his high weapon throwing power, which can be made higher with the use of a bug. He is a friend of Otonashi, a freshman of Reihou Academy who is also participating in the athletic meet. Morimoto has no techniques in Battle Royal and has a maximum health of 160.

Hayato Ichijō: The remaining freshman of Nekketsu High School joined the team to become a tough guy like Kunio. He suffered asthma when he was young and was bullied in junior high, so he wants to become a tough guy in high school to change his image. Ichijou is a weak character with low stamina (his maximum health is 140) and fighting power. His lungs are also weak so he doesn't breath well underwater. However, he has great running speed and the second best weapon power of the team. He works well as a substitute for Kunio in running and jumping events. Like the other freshmen, Ichijou has no techniques in Battle Royal.

Mami introducing the Hanazono High School team in the PC Engine Super CD version of Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai.

A team comprised of fighting characters (with the exception of Yoshino), led by the school's banchō, Riki Samejima. Riki's girlfriend Mami Shimada is the team's cheerleader. Most of the characters on this team are slow and unsuitable for running events, which is why Yoshino is part of the team. Saotome works as Yoshino's backup in running events. Riki, Maeda and Saotome are the fighters of the team and are also good in the Obstacle Course, though Maeda can have trouble platforming. Washio and Shimizu are specialists who rely on weapons, with Shimizu specifically requiring a bokken.

Riki Samejima: Kunio's rival, Mach Punch Riki acts as the Captain of the Hanazono High School team. His punch stat is the highest of all characters. His starting health is 250, the second highest of all characters in the game, but of the four captains he is the slowest. His technique in Battle Royal is the Mach Punch (Stone Hands in River City Ransom) which replaces a normal punch. Due to having many frames, this technique is the slowest of the Mach techniques. Riki is best utilized in the Obstacle Course, the ball breaking minigame and Battle Royal.

Hikaru Saotome: The Vice-Captain of Hanazono and Riki's number two. He is an all-around character that can be used in any event. He has a maximum health of 210 and though he has low defense, he is the second best runner on the team and can supplement Yoshino in running events. Saotome grew up overseas and was trained in Qigong. This training grants him the Aura Punch technique in Battle Royal, performed by holding the A button (II button on the PC Engine version) until the attack is fully charged. It can be directed with the directional pad by pressing left or right, but the attack will only come out when fully charged. This technique will hit anyone caught in the direction of the punch if they are in range.

Tōru Maeda: An old rival of Riki, Maeda has a maximum health of 180 and is primarily a fighter. He is a slow character and has low jumping power. Coupled with his weak swimming skills Maeda is not a suitable character for the Yumemi Town Cross Country event. Maeda has no techniques in Battle Royal.

Mitsuaki Yoshino: Yoshino was recruited for the Hanazono team after Saotome and Riki exposed him to naughty magazines. This persuasion was done because the other members of the team are mainly fighters. Yoshino has a maximum health of 180 and has no techniques in Battle Royal, but he is the fastest character in the team. This makes him the main runner for the Yumemi Town Cross Country event, with Saotome acting as his backup.

Shūji Washio : The baseball ace of Hanazono High School as a maximum health of 220. He has average strength and his forte lies in his use of weapons. He has the Mach Pounding (Grand Slam in River City Ransom) technique in Battle Royal. The only disadvantage of this technique is that he cannot restore his health in Battle Royal and he is unable to gain the bonuses of the Magic Wand as well. Though he is not fast, he is a fast swimmer.

Kouichi Shimizu: Shimizu has the look of a punk, but he only looks like one. He is an average character similar to Nekketsu's Nanase and Morimoto. He has a maximum health of 180 and is mainly a fighter, when knocked down in Battle Royal he gets up the quickest of all the Hanazono members. His Battle Royal technique is the Hurricane Crash, an spinning attack using a bokken. Shimizu is best used in the Ball Breaking minigame and Battle Royal.

The Double Dragon Brothers about to show their skills in the PC Engine Super CD version of Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai.

The host team is led by the Double Dragon Brothers and also has the leader of the Reihou Four Devas, Kobayashi. These three can count as three captains in a single team. Mochizuki, another member of the Reihou Four Devas is also on the team and he is the fastest character in the game. Hayasaka is an above average character and Otonashi, although an average character is stronger than the average characters in other teams. Shizuka Aihara is the team's cheerleader.

Ryūichi Hattori: The eldest Double Dragon Brother. He is the second highest kicking power (behind Kunio) and 240 maximum health. He has two techniques in Battle Royal: the Dragon Tail Kick and the Dragon Burst Kick. The former is performed by pressing any button during a jump while the later requires pressing the B button (I on the PC Engine) when landing from a jump. Players have to be careful when performing the second technique (the same can be said of Sugata's Bomb Punch) as they can fall out of the ring if they are not careful. Ryūichi is a good fit for any of the game's events.

Ryūji Hattori: Ryūichi's younger twin brother has a maximum health of 230 and his punching power is higher than his brother. He can also perform the Dragon Tail Kick in Battle Royal but he also has a much safer technique, the Dragon God Fist. This has the same command as Sugata's Bomb Punch. Like his brother he can be utilized in any event.

Ryōma Hayasaka: A close friend of Mochizuki, Hayasaka is a strong athlete but he is not a delinquent. He has average stats, excelling in jumping and the use of weapons and has 200 maximum health. He has the same technique as Washio in Battle Royal, the Mach Pounding. Hayasaka works well in any event, mostly as backup for the twins and Kobayashi.

Shun Mochizuki: A member of the Reihou Four Devas and the game's fastest character. He is also a fast swimmer (though his breathing is flawed) which makes him the obligatory pick for the Yumemi Town Cross Country event, where he easily outruns his opponents. He has high weapon throwing power but his other stats are average, which means he is not an ideal character for Battle Royal. He has a maximum health of 200 and has no techniques in Battle Royal.

Masao Kobayashi: The leader of the Reihou Four Devas, he is as powerful as Kunio, Riki and Gōda. With a maximum health of 230, Kobayashi is easily Captain-tier. He has above average stats but his swimming stats are average. His technique in Battle Royal is the Mach Chop, which replaces a normal punch. It is the fastest Mach Attack in the game which makes Kobayashi a very dangerous opponent in Battle Royal. Like Morimoto, using a bug can increase Kobayashi's weapon throwing power.

Kyōsuke Otonashi : A Reihou Academy freshman and a lone wolf that is not intimidated by anyone. He was recruited by Kobayashi for the athletic meet. His maximum health is 180, the lowest in the Reihou Academy team. However, Otonashi is the fastest character in the game to get up upon being knocked down in Battle Royal. He is an average character, but has a special technique in Battle Royal: the Brain-splitting Chop. It is performed by doing a standing jump and holding up on the directional pad and pressing the A button (II on the PC Engine). Unlike Nanase's Double Chop, this chop attack will stun enemies in place instead of knocking them down. Otonashi is friends with Morimoto of Nekketsu High School.

School Union

Nishimura making a demonstration at Sawaguchi's expense in the PC Engine Super CD version of Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai.

A team with members of multiple high schools, each member excels individually. Led by Gōda, who other than being the fastest player on the team also has high defense and a powerful headbutt. Gōda's friend Godai is the Vice-Captain and has the highest weapon stat in the game, which complements well with his special bokken technique. The portly Nishimura has the highest health in the game as well as high power and defense, which makes up for his lack of speed. His follower, Sawaguchi, is a fast but otherwise average character. Kumada is a judo master and possesses a powerful throw, but has average stats. Hayami, the last member of the team is one of the game's weakest characters. However, he is fast, a great swimmer and has high kicking power. He shares his special technique with Shimizu. The cheerleader is Yūko Kirishima from Gōda's school, Houryu High School.

Tsuyoshi Gōda: A respected student from Horyou High School that has many admirers, he assembled the union team and acts as its Captain. He has a maximum health of 230 and is running speed and defense are high, so he is the main pick for the Yumemi Town Cross Country event. He is a versatile character and can be used in any event. His technique in Battle Royal is his trademark Headbutt. The attack can knock opponents far, making it easy for him to throw opponents out of the ring. Gōda's only disadvantage is his inability to perform kicks in Battle Royal.

Susumu Godai: The strongest student in Tanibana High School, a close friend of Gōda and the union's Vice-Captain. He has above average stats comparable to a captain and has the highest weapon power. A master of bōjutsu, his Battle Royal technique is the Bōjutsu Special, which requires a bokken. It replaces his normal weapon swing with a rapid spinning attack that is difficult to escape. He has a maximum health of 240 and can like Gōda, is a good fit for any event.

Naritaka Nishimura: The banchō of Hakutaka Industrial High School. He has the highest maximum health in the game: 255, has high attack power and punches the fastest (with the exception of Riki's Mach Punch). However, he is one of the game's slowest characters. If knocked down, Nishimura has a hard time getting up as well. Nishimura is best used in the ball breaking minigame and Battle Royal. His technique in the latter event is the Charge Punch, which is performed in the same manner as Saotome's Aura Punch. The more the button is held, the stronger the punch.

Yasuo Sawaguchi: Nishimura's follower and second-in-command. He is an average character and is quite fast. He has no techniques in Battle Royal and his maximum health is 160. He can be used as backup for the other characters in each event, mostly the Obstacle Course and the ball breaking minigame.

Jūzō Kumada: A third year student and a member of the judo club from Torashima Industries IV High School. He has average stats and a maximum health of 210. His special move in Battle Royal is the Human Torpedo (Javelin Man in River City Ransom), which makes him a dangerous opponent since he can easily throw people out of bounds. Other than Battle Royal, Kumada is best utilized in the ball breaking minigame.

Takeshi Hayami: A mysterious character, all that is known about Hayami is that he is a sophomore from Hayabusa High School. His special technique is the same as Shimizu, the Hurricane Crash. His maximum health is 140 and he has weak stats. However, he has great running and kicking power and is a good swimmer, making him the ideal backup for Gōda in the Yumemi Town Cross Country.

Athletic Meet Staff

Mamoru Tōdō: The new student council president of Reihou Academy and the host of the athletic meet. He is the youngest son of the wealthy Todou family. He dislikes tough guys and delinquents like Kunio.

Kazumi Hasebe: The Master of Ceremonies of the athletic meet and the Vice Class President of Reihou Academy.

Hiroko Morisawa: The Vice-Captain of the Girls Volleyball Club at Reihou Academy. She is in charge of arranging events in the athletic meet.

Kōzuki in the music select screen.

Akane Kōzuki: The Director of Reihou Academy's Broadcasting Club, in charge of handling the music for each event. She is secretly planning to enter the entertainment industry.

Other Characters

Taiki Yamada: The former Student Council President of Reihou Academy, now a student of Meian High School. He is now a follower of Todo.

Codes, Secrets & Bugs

Famicom version

Weapon Throwing Bug

If a player selects Morimoto or Kobayashi without pressing the start button to skip to the game, their weapon throwing power will increase significantly. This bug can also be done for other characters. However, their requirements are more difficult to perform and for some of them it will be completely random.

Game Boy version

Clearing the game with Nekketsu High School or the School Union will replace the Nekketsu High School team with the following teams:

Technōs Japan Team

This team is unlocked after clearing the game with Nekketsu High School. It will replace the Nekketsu High School team. Though the characters are different in looks, their stats and moves are identical to the Nekketsu Team:

Takeuchi

Kashiwabara

Sakamoto

Yoshihara

Sakuma

Wada

Yumemi Team

Yumemi team in Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Dokodemo Daiundōkai.

This team will be unlocked after clearing the game with the School Union. It will replace the Nekketsu High School team as well (which means that the Technōs Japan team cannot be unlocked at the same time). Their stats and moves are the same as the Reihou Academy members:

Jijī

Pōru

Sanpei

Nasuo

Kariya

Hirame

PC Engine version

Re-releases

The Famicom version is one of two games available in Kunio-kun Nekketsu Collection 2 for the Game Boy Advance (the other game included in the collection is Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu: Soccer Hen. It was released on October 27, 2005.

The Famicom and Game Boy versions of the game were re-released multiple times digitally on Nintendo systems. The Famicom version was released by Arc System Works on the Wii Virtual Console on December 4, 2007 in Japan and October 14, 2008 in Korea. It was released again, this time for the Wii U Virtual Console on April 27, 2013 only in Japan. Finally, it was released to the 3DS Virtual Console on June 12, 2013 in Japan.

The Game Boy version was released for the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan on May 16, 2012.

The Famicom version was also featured in the Nintendo 3DS compilation Kunio-kun Nekketsu Complete: Famicom Hen, released on December 8, 2016 only in Japan. This version of the game will also be included in a new compilation: Kunio-kun: The World Classics Collection, which will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows (via Steam). It will be released in Japan in 2018.

Legacy

Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku is the most popular game in the Kunio-kun series in Japan. It has multiple remakes, including one made by fans. The dōjinshi game for PC created by fans has none of the technical limitations of the Famicom version and includes more teams. The game is available here (by clicking the third link on the right from the top).

River City Super Sports Challenge for the Nintendo DS (first released in Japan by Arc System Works on February 4, 2010, named Kunio-kun no Chō Nekketsu! Daiundōkai) is similar game to Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku and can be considered a follow-up or enhanced remake, but is not a sequel to the original game. It was released by Aksys Games in North America on October 12, 2010. The game was developed by Million Co., Ltd and previous Techns Japan Corp staff such as Kai Koji (who worked on the game design of Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu: Subette Koronde Dairantō, various other sports games in the series and Kunio no Oden) worked on the game. Kazuo Sawa returned to compose new music and arrange music from the original game.

River City Super Sports Challenge includes more teams, a character and team creator, a separate mission mode and a new event that replaces the ball breaking minigame. This time, the third event has players searching for hidden chests in an arena. This game is part of the Super Nekketsu sub-series started by Arc System Works, which includes Super Dodgeball Brawlers and River City Soccer Hooligans.

Arc System Works released an enhanced remake of the Famicom version to the PlayStation 3 on March 5, 2015 in Japan: Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundoukai All-Star Special. This remake was released on the western PlayStation Store digital marketplace as River City Super Sports Challenge: ~All Stars Special~ by South Korean company H2 Interactive Co. Ltd. on October 28, 2015 in North America and November 4, 2015 on Europe and Australia. This marks the first time that Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku is released in the west (though River City Super Sports Challenge was released first, it was not exactly like the original game).

This enhanced remake makes some changes to the gameplay, adds additional teams and also adds a robust single player mode with an expanded plot. The game also includes a character, team and stage creator along with online multiplayer. Kazuo Sawa returned once again to arrrange the game's music and added new tracks from previous games in the series.

H2 Interactive Co. Ltd. also released the game to Steam in North America on December 17, 2015.

Trivia

Maeda, whose given name is Tōru, has no relation to the similarly named enemy from Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, even though both characters are Hanazono High School students. Some fans do consider the two characters to be the same, as can be seen in the fan remake of Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu.